§ 1359. Safety Room Procedures.

The facility administrator, in cooperation with the responsible physician, shall develop and implement written policies and procedures governing the use of safety rooms, as described in Title 24, Part 2, Section 1230.1.13. The room shall be used to hold only those youth who present an immediate danger to themselves or others, who exhibit behavior which results in the destruction of property, or reveals the intent to cause self-inflicted physical harm. A safety room shall not be used for punishment or discipline, or as a substitute for treatment. Policies and procedures shall:

(a) include provisions for administration of necessary nutrition and fluids, access to a toilet, and suitable clothing to provide for privacy;

(b) provide for approval of the facility manager, or designee, before a youth is placed into a safety room;

(c) provide for continuous direct visual supervision and documentation of the youth's behavior and any staff interventions every 15 minutes, with actual time recorded;

(d) provide that the youth shall be evaluated by the facility manager, or designee, every four hours;

(e) provide for immediate medical assessment, where appropriate, or an assessment at the next daily sick call;

(f) provide that a youth shall be medically cleared for continued retention every 24 hours;

(g) provide that a mental health opinion is secured within 24 hours; and,

(h) provide a process for documenting the reason for placement, including attempts to use less restrictive means of control, and decisions to continue and end placement.

HISTORY

1. New section filed 3-6-97; operative 4-5-97 (Register 97, No. 10).

2. Amendment of first paragraph and subsection (c) filed 1-11-2001; operative 2-10-2001 (Register 2001, No. 2).

3. Amendment of subsections (b), (c) and (h) filed 6-23-2003; operative 7-23-2003 (Register 2003, No. 26).

4. Amendment of section and Note filed 12-2-2013; operative 4-1-2014 (Register 2013, No. 49).

Note

Note: Authority cited: Sections 210 and 885, Welfare and Institutions Code. Reference: Section 209, Welfare and Institutions Code.